Air Jordan 31 “Shattered Backboard”

Michael Jordan may have never broken the backboard of a basketball hoop with one of his acrobatic dunks in an NBA game – that was a move designated for Shaquille O’Neal in the early 90s – but His Airness did manage to get one of his shattered backboards caught on footage during an international game in Italy.

That was the inspiration behind last year’s surprise hit, the Air Jordan 1 “Shattered Backboard”, a retro pair that featured a Black Toe-like colorway with additional Starfish orange accents to match the jerseys worn in the international competition. Now Jordan Brand is bringing the inspiration back for the Air Jordan 31 Shattered Backboard on October 8th.

The Jordan 31 Shattered Backboard benefits from a premium leather heel panel, with the overall construction of the latest Jordan signature silhouette paying homage to Mike’s first model. A unique gradient pattern fades from orange to black on the Flyweave woven upper while an interesting shade of off-white manages to captivate on the outsole.

This Air Jordan XXX1 won’t be the only Shattered Backboard inspiration releasing this October either, as a new Air Jordan 1 “Reverse Shattered Backboard” will arrive at retailers on October 8th.The Jordan 1 Reverse Shattered Backboard features a familiar color blocking with that beautiful combination of off-white Sail tumbled leather and Starfish orange, only this time around, black plays a more subdued role with the overall colorway representing a more Chicago-like blocking when compared to last year’s release.